What the Avaglianos AccomplishedPeggy: lost 16 poundsPeter: lost 9 poundsMichael: lost 12 poundsAmanda: lost 9 pounds

“We’d been talking about eating better and exercising for years, but always came up with excuses not to,” says Peter. Thanks to the motivating challenges, the Avaglianos have shed 46 pounds and made lasting changes. The perfect example: “The program helped our son prepare for his freshman year of college, where he’s eating on his own for the first time,” says Peter. “Just the other day, Michael told me that he grabs yogurt or an apple at the student center before class rather than skipping breakfast. He never would have done that without this experience.” Their DIY advice:

1. Go for the (specific) goals.
The kids needed to learn how to make smart food choices before heading off to college (check!). Peggy wanted to whittle her middle (guess who dropped three pants sizes?). And Peter, a diabetic who hates injecting his insulin, was determined to slim down so he could reduce his medication. “After six months, my average blood sugar levels went from 320 to 180, which is huge,” says Peter. “My endocrinologist was really impressed and said that if I lose a few more pounds, I’ll be able to cut back on insulin.”

2. Plan to move as one.
The New Jerseyans needed help finding physical activities they could enjoy together and entertainment that didn’t revolve around food. Now, at least once a week, they go on an hour-long post-dinner walk—a suggestion from their trainer Ann Erik at Tilton Fitness. “We’d tell the kids on Friday that we want to bike ride at the boardwalk Sunday morning,” explains Peggy, who suggests giving children advance warning.

3. Eat right on the go.
When the family embarked on a seven-day, 2,800-mile car trip to drop three of their children off at college, they didn’t succumb to fattening road-side fare. “We went online every night and found a list of food options for the next day available at every exit,” says Peter. “And rather than bring potato chips or M&M’s for snacks, we packed grapes and apples.”

4. Don’t quit on vacation.
Despite driving 10 hours a day during their road trip, Peggy and Peter found time to work out as trainer Ann Erik suggested. “In the morning, we’d head to the hotel’s fitness center to do cardio and free weights—again something that we never would have done before,” says Peter. “It also really helped my legs loosen up after all that driving!”

What the Lehmans AccomplishedTiffany: lost 19 poundsAndy: lost 19 poundsAnna: lost 6 pounds

“Yo-yo dieting was the story of our lives,” says Tiffany, who was determined that her children avoid the weight loss struggles she and Andy experienced. “I could see Anna adopting some of our bad eating patterns and wanted to change that.” Soon enough their daughter was eagerly following their new habits and loving it. “Eating healthy every day is hard when there’s a lot of tempting junk food at school and on field trips,” says Anna. “But I have more energy when I make good choices. And I don’t feel gross like you do after eating a hamburger.” Most important, the Lehmans (who dropped 44 pounds) permanently overhauled their diet. “This is a lifestyle change—not temporary,” adds Tiffany. Their top tools:

1. Strike up some friendly competition.
“The smartest tip was from trainer Wesley Keith at Gold’s Gym. He told us the best way to make fitness a family thing was keeping it fun so that it doesn’t seem like work,” says Andy. “We learned to turn it into a game.” For instance, each family member used his or her Fitbit activity tracker to see who could log the most steps each day.

2. Create fat-free incentives.
One bad habit the Lehmans previously had was rewarding their kids with unhealthy fare like fast food or ice cream. But their dietitian Stephanie suggested they come up with other ways to acknowledge accomplishments. “Instead, we treat them to a family activity, like going to Sky Zone trampoline park or the playground,” says Tiffany. “We lead very busy lives, so having quality time with each other is actually a great reward for all of us.”

3. Catch your 40 winks.
“The most shocking weight loss advice I got was to sleep more,” says Tiffany, who learned this from Robert Oexman, D.C., director of the Sleep to Live Institute in Joplin, Missouri. “I didn’t realize how much sleep is required to lose weight and how the quality and quantity can help me make wiser food choices. It also gives me energy to get through the day and kill it in the gym!”

4. Sweat together.
Both Andy and Tiffany began to fill their weekends with activities everyone could enjoy: playing outside, going to the park, running while the kids ride their bikes. “Before, Tiffany and I wouldn’t participate in these things. We’d just watch the kids have fun,” says Andy. Anna and Tiffany also followed a workout program designed by trainer Lass Lassiter of Gold’s Gym. “It got us both sweating and having a blast together,” says Tiffany.

What the Avaglianos and Lehmans won: We asked Reebok to reward both our families for the hard work they’ve done slimming down with new—and smaller—workout gear. How’s that for motivation to keep moving?

For Challenge #5, the Lehmans andAvaglianos were challenged to hit a number of fitness goals. Both teams did such a great job that they were all declared winners! If you’re looking to continue your get-healthy journey and follow our families’ leads, read on for expert tips:

Foolproof Motivators
Never miss another workout again, thanks to these inspiring tips from Tanya Jolliffe, healthy eating expert and community moderator for SparkPeople.com.

Hold back on extra helpings. “A lot of people believe they can eat more if they exercise,” says Elizabeth Fassberg, the Avaglianos’ nutritionist. “But exercise is not a free pass to overindulge at meals.”

Practice portion control. “Vacations and holidays don’t mean you have to put on weight. I told the Avaglianos they could taste everything while they were in Italy–just don’t finish it,” says Elizabeth. And if you have one big meal, make sure your others incorporate extra fruits and vegetables.”

Pump up the protein. “I encouraged the Lehmans to include protein, such as lean meats, dairy and beans, in all meals and snacks,” says Stephanie Karpinske, the Lehmans’ nutritionist. It helps repair the body, especially muscle tissue, after intense workouts. “Protein also helps fight hunger, may reduce carb cravings and has fewer calories than fat,” explains Stephanie.

When our trainer set our goals for the gym challenge, I believed she had Bruce Lee’s philosophy in mind, “ A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often simply serves as something to aim at.”

We came back from Italy, and expected to be far worse off in the gym than we were when we left, but, to our surprise, the walking we did paid off. It was still a stretch to achieve each of our goals, but we managed to pull them off.

The gym challenge is over, and both families achieved their goals. The journey has been a struggle, but hitting our goals does have its rewards. Peter’s A1C, a test which measures how well he is doing with his diabetes, has significantly improved. Amanda is stronger and more confident. Michael is faster. We are all thinking before we eat.

Of-course, we also have the opportunity to win prizes! This time both families won. This month’s sponsor is Epic they let us choose a piece of fitness equipment. We’ll be getting the treadmill in this photo. Not bad, huh?

My entire family has been using the treadmill at the gym, so we thought this would get the most use at home. We’re looking forward to using the iFIT function. This automatically tracks how we are doing and is sort-of a virtual trainer to keep us on track with our goals even after the 6-month challenge is over!

Post a comment below and tell me about a fitness goal you’ve set for yourself!

Funny story about me and the elliptical. When I first decided way back in the day (oh maybe 5 years ago) that I needed to work out, the first piece of equipment I jumped on was the elliptical. I remember the first time like it was yesterday. I think within the first minute I was sweating so profusely and probably swearing. It was all I could do to last five minutes on that thing. I swore it off (literally) and said never again will my feet touch that machine. Then I decided it was a good idea to hire one of the trainers at my gym at work to whip me into shape and the first thing she had me on was that elliptical. I cried…really I did. For those that know me personally I know you’re not surprised to hear that I cried…I’m such a cry baby. Needless to say she knew what I hated and pushed me to love it. I went from barely being able to be on it for 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

We love the elliptical because you can get a great cardio work out without a lot of heavy impact on the joints and knees. Andy and I both love to use it before working out with Lass and Wes to warm up and we also like to use it as a means of cardio while working out–we do sprints on it. Our favorite cardio routine on the elliptical is to warm up at a normal pace for the first five minutes, then start sprinting. Go as fast as possible at the highest resistance we can take for 30 seconds followed by a 30 rest. Still moving on the machine while resting but not as fast and repeat for 25 minutes followed by a five minute cool down.

So what is your favorite piece of equipment at your gym? Post a comment and tell me!

Training without a goal is like setting off on a family road trip without your GPS. There’s no guarantee you’ll reach your destination. So this month, we gave each member of the Avaglianos and Lehmans a personalized cardio, strength and weight-loss target. They worked with their fitness trainers and nutritionists to overcome obstacles and shape up. See who hit the mark, why some missed it and what their coaches did to make them move in the right direction.

What the Avaglianos Accomplished
At the start of this challenge, Peggy couldn’t complete a single sit-up and Peter was unable do more than three perfect-form push-ups. But 30 days later that all changed. The entire family reached or exceeded their strength goals. “Sit-ups were a perfect objective for Peggy because she complained about her weak core,” says personal training director Ann Erik of Tilton Fitness. “Plus, they are easy to measure.” And being able to gauge your progress is a great motivator: “Having a target to strive for inspired Peter to make a habit of going to the gym four times per week,” says Peggy. Amazingly, the family lost weight even though they took a 10-day trip to Italy mid-challenge! Here’s what they were aiming for with their workouts.

How They Did It★ Passed on a ride. The Avaglianos headed to Italy for some family R&R, but the country’s pasta and gelato didn’t weigh them down. “With all our walking around Venice–sometimes over 40 flights of stairs in one day–we stayed on track with our goals,” says Peggy. Vacations aren’t an excuse to gain weight. Instead, do your sightseeing on foot as much as possible.

★ Used a training schedule. “Peter was a little worried about his walking goal,” says Erik, who also created a rowing routine for Peggy. “But following my set plan that includes interval and distance work helps improve speed and endurance.”

What the Lehmans Accomplished

This month the Lehmans’ sweat and tears paid off! Tiffany, Andy and 10-year-old Anna have a lot to be proud of after making huge fitness strides. “You need to be comfortable with basic body-weight movements–lunges, sit-ups, dips, push-ups, pull-ups and rows–before you can begin any formal strength program,” says Andy’s trainer, Wesley Keith of Gold’s Gym. “When Andy was able to complete 50 reps of each of these movements in half an hour, it meant his body was conditioned enough to move to the next level.” Tiffany also achieved what she set out to and feels invincible. “I am amazed at how just believing in myself a little bit and having someone else–my trainer–believe in me has showed me that I can be and do anything I want,” says Tiffany, who lost 2.5% of her body fat.

Best of all, this inspiration was passed from one generation to the next. “My parents motivated me to work out and were so encouraging,” says Anna, who exercised four to five days a week and realized how good she felt when forgoing junk food. “I am happier because I’m healthier and making better food choices. Overall, I’m very proud of myself,” she says. Here’s their tally when it came to taking things up a notch at the gym.

Tiffany’s Goals 5-minute continuous treadmill push Missed by only 6 seconds!Squat, bench-press and deadlift 120 pounds each Missed each by 50 pounds or less!Lose 4 pounds Achieved! Down to 233 (started at 250 in June).

★ Worked their way up. Lass Lassiter of Gold’s Gym helped Tiffany achieve her goals by using interval training and gradually increasing her workouts. For example, with the treadmill push, Tiffany started with 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off; the next session she did one minute on and one minute off, until she hit five minutes. “Every session, Lass pushed me harder and further than I ever thought possible,” Tiffany says.

★ Kept an eye on their plates. Their trainers and nutritionist suggested they cut unhealthy carbs, eat lean sources of protein and consume more fruits and veggies. “Lass has the same philosophy as Stephanie: If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in a product, then you shouldn’t eat it,” says Tiffany.

What They Won: Both the Avagliano and Lehman families had their choice of one of two Epic home fitness cardio machines provided by Dick’s Sporting Goods: an A30T treadmill with iFit training programs and built-in speakers or an A30E whisper-quiet elliptical trainer (epicfit.com).